Dreamcast Smash Hit – Ikaruga – Out Now On PlayStation 4 & Nintendo Switch

How anyone can rank Ikaruga as their number one shoot ’em-up is beyond me, but I can understand how it earned that reputation. The game was developed by Treasure and heavily hyped as a spiritual sequel to the brilliant Radiant Silvergun—you know, one of the greatest shoot-’em-ups ever made.

Treasure worked mostly with Sega early on before branching out to other platforms. I have to admit, though, that whenever I saw a new Treasure game appear on the Sega Mega Drive, it was frustrating—I only had an Amiga at the time. The screenshots and hype from gaming magazines were always through the roof.

A couple of years later, I finally got to try all their games, and, sure enough, many of them felt overhyped—or at least the hype had raised my expectations too high.

That said, Radiant Silvergun, Silhouette Mirage, and Silpheed are genuinely brilliant games from Treasure—true classics that have stood the test of time both technically and visually.

The Nintendo Switch version arrived in May 2018 and had a brief three-week timed exclusivity period before being released on the PlayStation 4.

For some bizarre reason, this marked the very first time Ikaruga had ever been released on a PlayStation console.

The music and visuals are undeniably excellent. The game runs flawlessly without dropping a frame, and the gameplay definitely keeps you on your toes. However, the polarity-switching mechanic doesn’t really work for me anymore. These days, I prefer shooters with lots of combos, power-ups, and huge weapons rather than Ikaruga’s more puzzle-like approach to shooting.

How it works:
The player can switch the polarity of their ship between black and white at any time. When the ship is white, it absorbs white bullets fired by enemies and stores their energy, which can later be unleashed as a special attack. However, if the ship is white and is hit by black bullets, it will be destroyed.

The opposite applies when the ship is black. Enemies also come in black and white polarities. If the player’s ship is white and fires at a black enemy, it deals double damage compared to attacking with the same polarity. Destroying an enemy of the same polarity releases energy, which can be absorbed—but switching polarity at the wrong moment can turn that energy into a fatal hazard.

There are only five bosses in Ikaruga, and most players will likely need to play on Easy with unlimited continues just to see them all. However, the real challenge lies in completing every stage and defeating all the bosses on a single life—and yes, it is technically possible (so they say). That said, I’m 100% certain it’s something I’ll never be able to achieve.

Now, if only I could show him Silpheed and Radiant Silvergun. Hopefully, we’ll see PlayStation 4 ports of those someday, as they’re much more in line with the style of gameplay we both prefer—and actually feel comfortable mastering.

SEGA and Treasure definitely created something special, and this game will no doubt have a loyal cult following forever. But for me, this is where it ends—I’m simply too old for it now.